Old footage of Russian planes mischaracterized amid new conflict

Plane after plane after plane zooms overhead in formation against a cloudy sky in a video that’s being shared on social media as Russia invades Ukraine. 

"#Propogenda war starts," one post sharing the video wrote, misspelling propaganda. "#Ukraine claims #shot down of Russian fighter planes. #Russia bombs Ukraine air port and other #military installations." 

"#BREAKING #WorldNews," another post said. "Russia Attacks Ukraine,

5 Russian planes, 1 helicopter shot down in Luhansk, says Ukraine #worldwar3."

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But this footage is nearly two years old. Posts sharing this video were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

A reverse image search turns up videos with the same recordings from May 4, 2020, when, the Moscow Times said in a YouTube post, 74 Russian military planes and helicopters flew over Moscow to rehearse for the country’s Victory Day celebration. 

We rate claims that the footage shows the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine False.